Before posting announcements about my new book, Familiar Unto Me: Witches Sorcerers and Their Spirit Companions, my last blog post was about intermediate and advanced books and training.
People often
bemoan the lack of advanced books on magic and NeoPaganism. It's easier to
write beginner books, and with a beginner book, you don't have to wonder if
people will have the background to understand or use what you're writing. It's
still important to have books that move out of that beginner comfort zone.
In my post on
intermediate and advanced materials, two of the options for advanced work and
advanced material were either perfection of basic elements or in depth focused
exploration of a specific subject.
Familiar Unto Me falls into the latter category. The text covers just about everything you
could cover on familiars and treats ideas often related to familiars. We look
at practical elements, the nature of the idea and the nature of the relationship.
We explore the history of ideas and beliefs that build a worldview in which
familiar spirits can exist. We look at several options for acquiring them
across several different approaches to magic. We look in depth at a particular
case of a group working with a familiar, and we look at how familiar spirits
can tie into efforts to create new living traditions of spirit work.
It is a deep
dive that covers a broad range of elements of a specific topic.
So the book is
well suited to intermediate and advanced audiences because of its thorough
treatment of a singular topic. It can also be useful for beginners, not
necessarily people reading their first book or two, but people who are starting
off and figuring things out. Exploring specific topics in depth can still be
useful and interesting in that phase. This will also introduce a lot of more
intermediate concepts, ideas, and practices, which will give readers who are
still in the beginning phases of their explorations some direction around where
to explore. Since it covers a range of traditions, it will still serve the
beginner who wants to add work with a familiar to their spiritual experience.
It does not
introduce beginner techniques. There is no grounding or shielding, there is no
work on energy, or scrying, or clairvoyance. We don't introduce what
conjuration is, or what spirits are, or how to communicate with them. Readers
intending to work the material in this book will need some skills and knowledge
in those areas. This post will include some suggestions at the end for books
which will help establish those elements for people who need them.
The book does
cover all the elements needed to acquire a familiar in several systems of
magic, and so anyone with basic magic skills will find a method which is
workable for them.
It also breaks
down benefits and difficulties of different types of spirit work. While this is
an underexplored discussion, it's important, and well suited to intermediate
practitioners trying to decide what directions to focus on. This will also be
useful in guiding beginners who are starting to explore spirit work.
The wide range
of perspectives addressed and the far reaching depth of exploring every corner
of the idea of familiars means the book has a wide range of audiences it can
serve, but will also have material that just isn't for some of its readers.
Hopefully, people will appreciate the thoroughness and enjoy the parts that are
relevant to them, and find interest in looking at approaches outside of their
practice. With this wide range, while the book serves advanced and intermediate
practitioners, it has a lot to offer for those starting their journey as well.
If you find
yourself looking for an introduction to some of the elements and skills that
underlie this book and the practices contained, here are some options. You
don't need all of these. Most readers will be ready to pick up Familiar Unto Me
and just run with it, but if you're feeling like you need some more background,
any one or two of these will probably close the gaps.
The Sorcerer's Secrets: Strategies in Practical Magic by Jason Miller - a general
introduction to the skills and practices of modern sorcerers
Living Spirits: A Guide to Magic in a World of Spirits by BJ Swain - includes introductions to scrying and spirit conjuration and explains a
wide range of spirits and how to work spirits into practical magic
Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus - an immersive, potentially
initiatic, approach building relationships through spirit conjuration designed
to be simple and user friendly. Introduces new students to conjuration and
spirit work
Luminarium: A Grimoire of Cunning Conjuration by BJ Swain -
avoids a lot of theory and ideas and focuses on laying out simple skill
building practices to make you more capable at spirit conjuration. Provides a
simple system of spirit conjuration. Designed to be able to take a complete
beginner through introducing the idea, using preparatory practices, and
gathering tools into readiness for their first conjuration in as little time as
possible.
Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore Land and the Familiar Spirit by Roger J Horne - a collection of witchcraft
folklore and introduction to witchcraft ideas which can be used for building
witchcraft practices drawing on historical content and ideas
Sex Sorcery and Spirit: The Secrets of Erotic Magic by Jason Miller - will introduce
elements of sexual magic which may help the magician with spirit work and
provide more background for those looking to use the sex magic practices
described in Familiar Unto Me
Image: High King Margo. From SYFY's The Magicians. Went with this photo because Margo is in grad school for magic, so it fits the theme of intermediate and advanced work...also...Margo is the ultimate bad ass and I'd be honored to have her reading my work on Familiars.
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